BILLY STARK believes Dundee United’s Gary Mackay-Steven can cushion the blow of losing James Forrest from his Scotland Under-21 squad.

Mackay-Steven and Bolton’s Michael O’Halloran were the new faces included in the group that will face a crucial European Championship qualifier against Holland next Wednesday.

With Celtic’s on-fire wide man Forrest on full squad duty in Slovenia boss Stark believes Mackay-Steven can be a more than able deputy for unlocking the Dutch.

He said: “Mackay-Steven has been doing well and it’s an easy decision as he’s playing first-team football in Scotland.

“It’s been three or four months I’ve been watching him and he’s consistent.

“I know his background, from Ross County down to Liverpool where he suffered a bad injury and it didn’t quite happen for him when he came back from that.

“I watched him at Airdrie a few times and he was okay without setting the heather on fire but at United he’s produced a level of consistency which is unusual for a winger.

“We want to try to play a particular way to create chances so we need players who can penetrate and James comes into that category and Mackay-Steven is the same. He wants to take people on and is positive so he deserves his chance.”

Huddersfield’s red-hot striker Jordan Rhodes has remained with the 21s as they look for their first home win of the campaign.

Stark’s kids sit one point behind the Dutch in Group 10 and he insists it wasn’t a tug of war with senior boss Craig Levein over which players he’d get to pick from in Paisley.

He said: “Craig gets who he likes, it’s as simple as that. I’m delighted when players step up and any coach wants to have the best players available.”

Scotland will be aiming for a repeat of the 2-1 win over the Dutch last November but Stark still believes they’re underdogs against opponents who will present an entirely different proposition from the previous tie.

He said: “I don’t want to make excuses for saying why they are favourites and they wouldn’t admit it but maybe there was a sort of complacency.

“They were playing at home and they’d gone to Bulgaria and Austria and won so I’m sure they’d have gone into our game believing they would win it.

“But that element of surprise has gone now and there will be a respect for what happened in Holland.”

Another win against Holland would open the door to a place at the finals in Israel next summer and Stark has already set his side a points target.

He said: “Three wins from our remaining four games, which would take us to 17 points, is enough to get us qualification. I believe we’re capable but in my eyes Holland will be favourites.”?